View report page

48
signs, the child is excluded further until pronounced by a medical
practitioner to be free from infection. Infant contacts of measles who
have not had the disease are excluded for 14 days from the appearance
of the rash in the last case in the house; other contacts are allowed to
attend school. Infant contacts of whooping cough who have not had
the disease are excluded for 21 days from the onset of the disease in the
last case in the house. It is not now the practice to exclude for any
time contacts of those suffering from a number of infections, e.g. german
measles, mumps or chicken pox.
Disinfection.
Except after cases of smallpox, typhoid fever, tuberculosis and scabies,
and in any exceptional cases approved by the Medical Officer of Health,
where disinfection cannot be carried out in the home, terminal fumigation
and removal of bedding and other articles for stoving after the commoner
notifiable infections is not carried out by the Council, the householder
being instructed as to the precautionary measures to be taken. Where
householders still request that fumigation or stoving be carried out, a
charge is made, 7s. 6d. for fumigating the room, and 10s. Od. for the
stoving of the first load, 5s. Od. for any subsequent load.
DIPHTHERIA
Incidence.
Although on a number of occasions it was possible to record that
very small numbers of cases of diphtheria had occurred in the district
during the year, 1918 was the first year that it could be reported that
there was not a single case. This year, although 17 persons were admitted
to hospital suffering from what was suspected to be diphtheria, the diagnosis
was confirmed in only one case and that was a case of nasal not
faucial infection. This was a boy of seven who had been immunised in
1943, and was subsequently found to be Schick negative.
While the dramatic fall in the incidence of diphtheria throughout the
country in recent years must be related to the success of the immunisation
campaign which has been carried out, and to the facilities put at the
disposal of the public especially since 1940, whether or not any individual
succumbs depends partly on that person's state of immunity or susceptibility.
Anyone who has not been protected may succumb on exposure.
Moreover, any who have been protected do not necessarily maintain their
immunity unless they receive subsequent treatment. If they do not receive
any boosting doses, their immunity might wane sufficiently to reduce
them to a susceptible state. Nevertheless, should they succumb, it is
probable that the infection will be of a mild degree only. The position,
then, is that even though the protection might wane sufficiently to leave
the child exposed to an attack, there is very little risk of its waning to
such an extent as to leave the child liable to a severe attack, still less
liable to a fatal attack.
Place of Treatment.
No difficulty was experienced in arranging for the admission to hospital
of those who were thought to be suffering from the disease.